EDITORIAL BOARD

Editor in Chief:Mohamed Salama, SCORP Publications DAEgypt

Editor:Omar HeshamEgypt

Copy Editor:Jonathan MamoMalta

Design and Layout:Mohamed Nour eldinVPE MedSIN-SudanIFMSA VPE RA for AfricaSudan

SCORP Director:Thatyana Turassa ErnaniIFLMS - Brazil

SCORP Liasion Officer: Rebecca MolinaEcuador

THE RIGHT TO LIFE The Right to Life is a phrase that describes the belief that a human being has an essential right to live, and this also particularly describes the right not to be killed by another human being. The concept of a right to life is central to the much discussed issues of capital punishment, euthanasia, self defense, abortion and war. The right to life is described in the United Nations’ Universal Declaration of Human Rights , in the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights and also in the Charter of Fundamental Rights of the European Union.

According to Amnesty International, last year (2008) some 2,390 people were known to have been executed in 25 countries and at least 8,864 people were sentenced to death in 52 countries around the world. China, Iran, Saudi Arabia, Pakistan and the United States of America made up over 90% of the known executions. These countries provide the greatest challenge towards global abolition of the death penalty.

FACTS ABOUT THE DEATH PENALTY

- 57 countries maintain the death penalty in both law and practice;- 91 countries have abolished the death penalty;- 10 countries retain it for crimes committed in exceptional circumstances (e.g. in time of war);- 36 permit its use for ordinary crimes, but have not used it for at least 10 years.

The International Covenant on Civil and Political

Rights also states in Article 6.5 that; “Sentence of death shall not be imposed for crimes committed by persons below eighteen years of age and shall not be carried out on pregnant women.”

Only recently a twenty year old British lady held in Laos on drug charges made the headlines when

the death penalty was decidedly overturned due to her sudden pregnancy whilst still in prison.It is only in these short lived moments of fame do people remember the existence of the death penalty as being a legally accepted form of judicial punishment in many countries. The outcry that emerges in these short-lived episodes never lasts long enough to make much of a

difference. If it isn’t for Amnesty International and other organizations which work tirelessly for the right to life then life wouldn’t ever get a chance.

HISTORY OF THE RIGHT TO LIFE

In 1776, the United States Declaration of Independence stated that all men are endowed with certain inalienable rights, and that “among these are life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness”.

In 1948, the Universal Declaration of Human Rights, adopted by the United Nations General Assembly declared in article three: “Everyone has the right to life, liberty and security of person.”

In 1950, the European Convention on Human Rights

Dignity and Justice for All of Us

SCORPiontheStanding Committee on Human Rights and Peace SCORP

InternationalFederation ofMedical Students’AssociationsIFMSA

SCORP NewsletterAugust 2009Issue No. 2

Every human being has the inherent right to life.

This right shall beprotected by law.

No one shall be arbitrarily deprived of his life.

Article 6.1 of the International Covenant on Civil and Political

Rights

The RIght to Life P1SCORPion of the Month P2

Give a Life P3Focusing on HR and Peace Promotion P4

Croatian SCORPions P5IntercuLtural Understanding Project P7

How I Became a SCORPion P7Experience as SCORP-D P8

Ignorance, A Step Toward Discrimination P9The Brazilian Endless Water of March P9

Climate Change and Health P10Peace Test Project P11

THIS

ISSU

E

SCORPion was adopted by the Council of Europe, declaring a protected human right to life in Article 2. There are exceptions for lawful executions and self-defense, arresting a fleeing suspect, and suppressing riots and insurrections. Since then Protocol 6 of the Convention has called for nations to outlaw capital punishment except in time of war or national emergency, and at present this pertains in all countries of the Council except Russia. Protocol 13 provides for the total abolition of capital punishment, and has been implemented in most member countries of the Council.In 1989, the United Nations General Assembly adopted the Convention on the Rights of the Child (CRC), stating that “the child, by reason of his physical and mental immaturity, needs special safeguards and care, including appropriate legal protection, before as well as after birth; States Parties recognize that every child has the inherent right to life.” The only two non-parties to this Convention are the United States and Somalia. Despite not having been ratified by the United States, the CRC was used in 2005 by the United States Supreme Court to help justify banning the juvenile death penalty, in the case of Roper V. Simmons.

CONCLUSION

In most of the industrialized world, capital punishment is not used to punish criminals.

However, it is still used in the United States. The capital punishment debate in the United States has raged for almost four hundred years. Supporters of capital punishment often cite its roles as deterrent and retribution as reasons for their support of the death penalty. Opponents of capital punishment cite its finality as reasons for their opposition

against the death penalty. Their comments highlight that capital punishment can lead to an unequal application of justice, sometimes to the point of executing innocent persons, no amount of argument from its supporters should prevent it from being abolished.

“Till the infallibility of human judgment shall have been proved to me, I shall demand the abolition of the death penalty” - Marquis de Lafayette

Jonathan MamoMalta

www.un.org/en/documents/udhr/index.shtmlwww.unhchr.ch/html/menu3/b/a_ccpr.htmwww.europarl.europa.eu/charter/pdf/text_en.pdfwww.amnesty.orgwww.unhchr.ch/html/menu3/b/a_ccpr.htmwww.cnn.com/2009/WORLD/asiapcf/05/05/laos.british.woman.death.penalty/index.htmlwww.apa.org/psyclaw/roper-v-simmons.pdf

Dear SCORPions,

It is with great pleasure that I hereby announce the SCORPion of the month for June 2009!This is the second time we are choosing someone to be the SCORPion of the month. Once again, we have chosen the winner as a SCORP Team, and here are some of the things we have paid attention to:

- Participation with article(s) for The SCORPion;- Enthusiasm and participation in the SCORP/NORP list;- Writing a report on recent projects/campaigns done in either a local, national, regional, or international level to the SCORP server and or to the SCORP Projects’ Form;- Participation/motivation during the MM09 SCORP Sessions.

To be chosen the SCORPion of the month, it wasn’t a must to complete all of these criteria, but some of them have been utilized to guide us in our choice.

I am proud to announce that the SCORPion of the Month of June is Mr. Jonathan Currie, from Medsin-UK! It has been a great honor to have your Small Working Groups on “Strengthening Health Systems and the Brain Drain”, and how you are, once again, willing to develop related activities in the next GA. We admire your sense of responsibility, and we are glad to have you participating in this issue of The SCORPion. Congratulations, Jonny, for being the SCORPion of the month for June, and keep up the SCORP spirit! ;) SCORP R U L E S!

Thatyana Turassa Ernani -IFLMS - BrazilSCORP Director

Page 2

“We are allfree and equal”

“We should all betreated in the

same way”

“Nobody has anyright to hurt us

or to torture us”

“We all have theright to belong

to a country”

“Innocent untilproven guilty”

“Education isa right”

“We all have theright to a good

life”

“Every grown-uphas the right to

do a job”

“Everyone has the right to own things or share

them”

“Nobody can take away these rights and

freedoms from us”

SCORPion OF THE MONTH

1. Everyone has the right to life.2. No one shall be condemned to the death penalty, or executed.

- Article 2 of the Charter of Fundamental Rights of the

European Union

Give a Life

ORGAN DONATION CAMPAIGN IN SAUDI ARABIA

Organ Transplants are arguably one of the most miraculous achievements of modern day medicine. But despite all the technology medicine has to offer and all the latest medical advancements, organ donation is still the number one source for transplanted organs. Patients with organ failure are in desperate need of donors, many of whom even consider resorting to methods others may view as controversial or unethical, although many will argue that most peoples’ judgment will be altered once faced with a crisis involving their health.

One of the major controversies arising due to this shortage of organ donors is legalizing paid organ donation, with monetary gain for the donor or the donor’s family. Many transactions of this type are being carried out undercover around the world every day. These “organs-for-sale” may solve the problem for a handful of patients, but the majority of patients with organ failure cannot afford to pay the enormous “price-tag” assigned to these organs. Moreover, the act of legalizing these “business deals” makes their existence legitimate, and perhaps encourages the opening of a new market sector that trades humans instead of stock.

Non-profit organ donations remain the Gold Standard worldwide for organ transplants. These are established through obtaining the permission from the donors during their lives or the donors’ families after their death. One donor can save the life of several people, restore the sight of two people and improve the quality of life for many more. The more people that agree to their organs and tissues after they die, the more people that may benefit from organ transplantation surgeries.

By 2015, the number of patients in Saudi Arabia on dialysis is expected to reach 14,000, with an average annual increase of 8.7 percent, as reported by the Saudi Center for Organ Transplantation. According to reports from the World Health Organization, kidneys have been reported as the most vital organ under demand in 98 countries.

Mohammad, 29, started experiencing fatigue and frequent urination. His family noticed that his face had become swollen and his eyes were abnormally puffy. He was also losing his appetite and was suddenly experiencing nausea and vomiting.

After appropriate tests were completed, his physician informed him that his kidney function was decreasing, and that he would probably have to start undergoing dialysis within a few months. After several years of dialysis, the hospital called to inform Mohammad that he was eligible to receive a kidney donated by an anonymous donor. And after a successful cadaveric transplant, he lived a prolific life with his wife and five children, and led a powerful career as an executive of one of the country’s major corporations. Mohammad was my father.

Through my father’s life, I have come to experience what a true gift an organ is, and how dynamically it can transform a patient’s quality of life. Unfortunately, although officially approved by the Senior Committee for Religious Scholars in 1982, many families are still reluctant to consent to donate the organs of a deceased relative. According to the Annual Report published by the Saudi Center for Organ Transplantation, road traffic accidents constituted 44.7% of the circumstances that lead

to death in 2007, with numbers increasing since that time. Of all brain death cases in 2007, 474 were reported, and less than 37% of approached families consented organ donations.

Mohammad’s kidney lasted him about eight years. At fifty years of age, and having battled with chronic kidney disease for almost

Giving More People the Chance to Share the Gift of Life

3

twenty-two years, Mohammad was now not the best candidate for a second transplant. Due to the spacious gap between the number of organs available for donations and the daily growing waiting list, the criteria for selecting organ transplantation candidates are stricter than ever. The longer a patient is anticipated to live, the better chances that patient will get selected for the next operation. Although very approximate cross-matching is the major determinant for bone marrow transplants, they tend to be a little looser when it comes to matching other organs, like kidneys. So, second to age, the general health of a patient and the urgency of his condition are critical for judging whether the patient should get the organ or not. Albeit a very reasonable criterion, it can be a double-edged sword. If the patient’s state is very critical, he may not be able to withstand a major operation as organ transplantation. Similarly, there are no guarantees of how well the patient’s condition will improve after the operation.

As part of the activities of the Standing Committee on Human Rights and Peace in Saudi Arabia (SCORP-SA), one of four standing committees of the International Federation of Medical Students Association-Saudi Arabia (IFMSA-SA), “Give a Life Campaign” was launched by medical students in Saudi Arabia. The campaign, supervised by the Saudi Center for Organ Transplantation, aims to raise awareness about the nature of brain death, the overwhelmingly long waiting list, and the urgent need for organ donors. Trained medical students, as part of this two-year campaigning project, will be approaching the public in schools, universities, malls, companies and public gatherings in order to raise awareness for the rising persistent need for organ donation.

Hundreds of patients at this moment depend entirely on the generosity of donors and their families who are willing to pass this life-saving gift to others. The ultimate goal of this campaign is to bring the number of donations within a close range to the number of patients waiting for organ transplants. The impact of the preceding will be manifested in reducing the number of patients waiting for organs, diverting patients from resorting to unethical trading of human organs, and bringing the bar set for receiving an organ a little lower, and thus giving more people a chance to embrace life.

Monira M. Al-Bat’hiKing Saud University

Focusing on Raising Awareness About HR and/or Peace Promotion

Sometimes, people feel like they have no idea what to do, they are running out of resources, and people just keep asking them for more and more. They try to get more resources but those that gave the resources are starting to run away at the very sight of them. Or at least that happens to me, and I like to generalize because if makes me feel better. Anyway, I think that nobody has as much resources (financial, human, etc) as they wish. There might be someone who does but I think they are very few.

So you are reading the project database and seeing all this great projects you want to do, reading the scorp yahoo groups and hearing about all these worthy causes that need your help, but unfortunately, you cannot finish anything because you don’t have the money, or don’t have the people to do it. Or sometimes you might not have either of those. Or one of my favorites, you do a fundraising event and raise less money than what the bank charges to send it to the place in need. It might happen.

So my advise, dont get frustrated, that will not help you, just do things which might not look as flashy and pretty so to speak but do something which in my opinion is just as important if not more which is to promote those important issues care so much about.

Promoting these issues is really important, as knowing about them is the base to be able to end them. Because if you do not know whats going on, then you don’t learn from it and then it keeps going on. This is especially important in human rights related issues.

It is almost universally accepted that human rights are good, and that everybody should have them. However, what do these people think about what is human rights is an entirely different thing. But even between the different concepts people might give to the term human rights, there are some definite violations that are seen wrong by all, if they happen to hear about them. But nobody thought about telling people it was happening. And the more people that know, the more people that might do something about it.

To put a peace related example, near to the beginning of this year the Gaza conflict exploded. After the march meeting I went back to lima and I’m not sure of how the subject of Gaza started, but I remember somebody speaking about tea exports, so out of curiosity I ask this group if they knew where Gaza was. Turns out none of them had any idea. Of course they had even less idea of what had happened there or what the conflict was about, all they seemed to know was that somebody was throwing bombs at them, although they weren’t sure if it was the Israelis or the Palestinians. And this were that where about to graduate from a renown university.

This made me think how things like these will this stop happening if nobody knows about them. I never thought I would hear the things I heard that day. But that taught me not to assume they know. Who knows, maybe one of the people you make aware of different human rights violations might become the next great human rights activist.

Many of the people who do nothing about human rights and allow human right violations to happen do so because they don’t realize what the problems are, and by making the world aware of these problems you are putting your grain of sand and making the world a better place.

Lottie Romero, IFMSA Peru

4

ICU Intercultural Understanding Project

Today, media which is, sadly, wide open to subjectivity, is the most important communication line between most of the cultures. In our point of view, the relationships between cultures, who only know each other by media (or not know each other at all) need an ICU care, provided by the young SCORPions.

A quote from Richard Bach’s book, “One”: ... “then asked the men to tea. And you serve him a little pastry and you mention to him, `Listen, I just inherited this house from uncle, as you inherited yours. Maybe they didn’t like each other, but I have no quarrel with you. Does your roof leak like mine does?”

He folded his hands in front of him. “What does the man do? Does he eat our pastry,

then go home and shoot us?”

So, carrying this quote in our hearts, we tried to figure out, what could be done and came up with a project idea which we would like to share with you. The main goal of our project is to minimize the prejudice caused by subjectivity of the media and misunderstandings between cultures, which are the main causes of the hatred, by introducing a new and unique point of view.

The method is quite simple, due to ongoing exchange programs via SCOPE and SCORE. Considering the fact that most of our faculties also participate in ERASMUS programs, we can also cooperate with them too. The method we came up with (which is totally open to discussion) is that, exchange students from different countries will be interviewed on their opinion about the country, where their exchange is taking place, on their arrival and departure. One local student will also be interviewed about his/her opinion on his/her country. This will provide more realistic information about the countries and, also, uncover the huge difference between the prejudgements and

the reality. Those interviews, which last 10 minutes each, will be recorded on camera and will be distributed IFMSA-wide via the database.

These videos will be aired on the internet and local TV channels. Additionally, these videos can be used to prepare exhibitions during the general assemblies, and also can be embedded to the NMOs pages.

The only budget required will be 70 €, for the web hosting (quite cheap, huh?). When it comes to the human resources, well, each contact person will be expected to do the interviews and upload the videos.

We would really love to hear your questions, contributions and enthusiasm. You can contact us with icu.msic@gmail.com

Ayşe Deniz Elmalıİstanbul University, Cerrahpaşa Medical FacultyLORP 2008-2009

Alişan Burak YaşarKocaeli University, Medical FacultyLORP 2008-2009

Everything started with the feeling that I wanted to be “more than a medical student”. I just didn’t want to be one of those who wake up early in the morning, come to the faculty then go home after the lectures and study. That’s how I decided to join my local committee. My first task was being the social program coordinator in EMSA GA 2007.

I really enjoyed that feeling but there was still something missing: I wanted to do something for humanity, to raise awareness in people in subjects that I know. I wanted

to change the world. This may seem ridiculous to you, especially “changing the world” part. But whatever, I’ll keep telling you my story.

I joined SCORP only one and a half years after starting to work in my local committee. I was like a “Wow! They are

doing something”. Human rights and medicine seemed to be very distinct subjects in the beginning, but then I realized that it was not so, on the contrary, human rights and health were very closely related. I found out that living in a healthy condition was actually a human right itself, and that human rights were not significant for a person who is not healthy. After all, an individual who lost his health can only think of being healthy again, not about his right to work, to be educated and so on.

I strongly believe that the task of a medical doctor is not only to examine and treat patients, but to be a guide that people can follow in the society. Since the majority of

the society is less educated than doctors, and doctors know more about many subjects, as future medical doctors, it is our duty to help other people learn what we know, to create publics that are more aware. This duty actually gives the doctors the power to change the world. This may not be the case in other parts of the world, but it certainly is in Turkey.

What I am trying to do as a SCORPion is reaching as many people as I can by doing activities for people in the streets, instead of working just for medical students, since I believe medical students and doctors can reach information more easily. Thus I am willing to create a butterfly effect and to change the world by changing the point of view of some people about Human Rights and Peace issues. For me, everything we do for the society will take a small part in changing the world. This is what a single SCORPion can do. Imagine what our joint efforts can create! Go SCORPions =)

Burcu SahinHacettepe University Faculty of MedicineAnkara, Turkey

HOW I BECAME A SCORPion?

THE SCORPion5

Experience asSCORP DirectorFour years ago, when I was breathing the fresh air of my first year in medical school, I felt the impulse to experience a myriad of extracurricular activities that I had never dreamed ever existed. One of them, of course, was the IFMSA. It offered me an opportunity to deal with foreigners, something which I have always loved to do, and also to practice some voluntary work, that I had already made a habit of doing during High School.

I had the feeling that I could save lives and make the difference for the world during my local committee’s meetings that succeeded, and I heard of a SC that had not yet been implemented in our NMO – SCORP. In a country like Brazil where social inequality is alarming, I simply could not believe in this!

Was there anything I could do to turn SCORP into a reality in Brazil? Bit by bit, I was carefully instructed by the SCORP directors Eva and Layal, together with other highly motivated SCORPions, like Mamo, and my local committee was supporting me all the time. Together with my Local Committee, I was able to run the first genuinely SCORP project, the PeaceTest, for the first time in Brazil.

This is how SCORP grew its roots deep inside of me. I dedicated myself to SCORP a lot, and slowly it developed in other Local Committees of IFLMS-Brazil. And then other dreams came into my mind… I dreamed of being the SCORP Director myself – in a very, very distant dream, thought I. Since then, I have been in close contact with all SCORP Teams that passed and, last year; this dream finally had its chance to become true.For sure, it has been a great experience working with SCORPions as the SCORP Director for this term! It’s incredible how my whole body vibrates whenever I talk to an enthusiastic

SCORPion asking me for guidance or for my opinion, or telling me his/her success story. When I stop to realize that even from far away you might be helping someone to make the difference in an opposite point of the globe, it fills my soul with joy.

It has been an amazing experience to have the responsibility of handling the administrative part of a SC, to be a part of a wonderful Team of Officials, and to work closely to the ones chosen to be a part of the SCORP Team! It has also been

unforgettable to organize one GA (now going to the second one), and live a March Meeting

experience as an Official.

This term has been filled with a variety of achievements and innovations

to SCORP, like the first issue of The SCORPion, the Letters to LORPs, the activation of the Health and Humanitarian Causes Fund and Emergency and Disasters Group, pleasant GA sessions, not to mention the maintenance of basic SCORP activities, like the SCORP list, updates of the YahooGroups,

collection of NORPs and Projects’ reports, among others!

I feel it’s extremely relevant that all the efforts that have been done to

make SCORP grow are given continuity and, for this, I’ve been looking for potential

successors, not only for the Director position, but also for the SCORP Team. I’m positive we have

a number of enthusiastic and competent SCORPions who are willing to take this chance, and that will perpetuate the SCORP spirit.

Thatyana Turassa ErnaniIFLMS - BrazilSCORP D 2008/09

THE SCORPion 6

THE SCORPion7

By Marija DraguljicCroatia

Croatian SCORPions

By Marija DraguljicCroatia

Croatian SCORPions

THE SCORPion 8

SCORPions in a Home for Street Children

One day my friends and I started thinking about children who live in homes without their families and friends. We wanted to know how they lived, why they ended there, and what their

dreams and wishes were. I then contacted a girl who was the LORP and we went to visit one of the homes. As soon as we stepped out the car, three little boys came to us and started asking: “Are you going to be my student? Please, be my student!” We were touched and confused but then we had a talk with the home headmistress. She told us everything we wanted to know and we were stunned. We found out that these children have really big problems and hard lives so we

decided to try to make their lives a little bit easier and nicer. They are children who have been abused in every possible way, have ADHD and many behaviour disorders, learning problems etc.

The headmistress told us that the best way to help these children is to give them our time and company. So I started a project named “For a Happy Child” which includes collecting everything they need for everyday life, school, fun and includes also volunteering. Today we have about twenty volunteers and every one of them has his own child with whom he spends time, helps him with school, plays games, talks and does everything friends and big brothers do. Volunteers are not only medical students. We asked students from other faculties to join and they did. We try to make every

holiday special for them so we buy them loads of candies and chocolate which they adore and then we spend the whole day with them. They ask for love and care and we try to give these to them.

Unfortunately, they have grown up on the street without proper care so they have many behavioural problems and they lack the knowledge about issues that affect children their age the most (9-18 years). This is why, in October, we are going to start an educational project on puberty, violence and substance abuse in that home because these are very important issues which people who work with these children are confronted with every day. By then we will have training for Y-PEER educators to prepare a group which will work with these children during the year. All SCORPions believe that this way we would take a big step forward in helping these children. They are asking a lot from us and we are trying to give them the best we have. I am sure that next year every child in a home will have his Big Brother or Sister, his window to world.

SCORPions working with SCORA Angels

You know how you met so many wonderful people when you became a member of the IFMSA family? So did I! We all share the same dreams and every one of us has his own vision on how to make them come true. Two months ago I was sitting drinking coffee with two great SCORAngels and we spoke about saving the world. Then we decided to change the world, a little bit to start off with. We wanted to put the idea “Think globally, act locally” into action and to make a move on that. Right to education on reproductive health and HIV/AIDS, puberty, discrimination, substance abuse, conflict and violence prevention, access to information about health and disease prevention were things we wanted to ensure for every citizen of our country, on islands, in villages or towns. This is how the project ‘Medical Student on the Move’ was created.

We organised two trainings for Y-PEER educators wishing to involve new people in the project. It has two parts: one is education in local schools and the second one is measuring blood pressure, glucose blood levels and BMI - aiming for prevention of diabetes and hypertension among the local population. Our pilot project was very successful and we were very happy with the results. People in the local community welcomed us and helped us to carry out this project. School, children, elder people and local authorities have given us great support.

Even though we have done a lot of work, we have also had a great time together, eleven of us, people from SCORA, SCORP, SCOPH and SCOME. It is something we will always remember. The next step is to raise this project to a national level, to improve it and involve many more students who wish to contribute to saving ‘little worlds’, one by one.

IGNORANCEa step towards discrimination

Throughout our lives we have received education from our parents, teachers, relatives, and other important figures in our lives. This education is not chosen by us; we have simply received and repeated the basic patterns of behavior that we have observed mainly at home, at school and in society in general. However, there should arrive a point in every individual’s life when we become people who think for ourselves and who are responsible for our own education in order to discern between the good and the bad in an objective way.

In my opinion, the first step in allowing discrimination is lack of respect towards other human beings, the second being ignorance. In the past, present and future human beings have found themselves and will continue to find themselves in unknown situations, which as a result are beyond their control of reasoning. In such

situations, people will often feel afraid and reject or prohibit the thing that they do not understand. There are innumerable conflicts within history that have been provoked by ignorance on the part of the assailant, who often has some form of advantage over the victim.

Knowledge of the type of situations which pose a health threat is only truly dominated by a small percentage of the world population, and an even smaller percentage of those work in accordance with bioethical principals. Those who reject these bioethical principles, due to their fear and ignorance, are putting ill people, the disabled, immigrants, the starving, inhabitants of endemic areas and those that directly coexist with them at a physical, psychological and economic disadvantage. Actually, if we knew a little more about their situation we would have no reason to feel

threatened by them and as a result treat them as they should be treated.

In reality, the means of communication have given us the possibility to be informed of nearly everything that happens in the world, search information about any topic and stay in touch with people thousands of kilometers away. What I am trying to bring to bring to light is that to be informed is not just an option; it is an obligation and a right. Once we have this we will be less ignorant, we will understand and respect cultural diversity and know that other human beings even though they may believe, think, live or work in a differently, are actually not that different from us. We may even be able to find these small differences interesting and in this way not attack or discriminate against others, for later nor become the victims.

Ana Escobar Luna, NORP IFMSA-México

The Brazilian Endless Waters of March“And the river bank talks of the waters of MarchIt’s the end of all strain, it’s the joy in your heart”– Antonio Carlos JobimThe song “Waters of March” written by the Brazilian composer Jobim refers to seasonal rains that pour over the country during the transition between summer and fall. Little did he know that years later climate changes would transform these rains into heavy storms responsible for desolation in the Northeast region of his country during last May and June.

The intense precipitation rates caused flooding in 459 cities distributed among

THE SCORPion9

nine states, causing the death of 64 citizens. The Ministry of National Integration stated that 357,601 people had to leave their homes and depend on the assistance provided by the government and their relatives. Economic losses are estimated at more than half-a-billion dollars.

The Northeast allocates the second biggest amount of Brazilian inhabitants. Being the first region occupied by the Portuguese colonizers back in the 16th century, this region contains numerous historical cities and cultural values, besides its economic importance at animal husbandry, industry, as well as scientific and technological research. The most affected cities, though, were the ones with low socioeconomic incomes, which

has, over the years, restricted their autonomy and made them dependent of external aid – especially at emergency situations like this one.

Facing this tragedy, the International Federation of Londrina Medical

Students (IFLMS/BRAZIL) mobilized to perform, for the first time in Brazil, the “Projeto Missão” (Mission Project). All local committees affiliated to IFLMS (approximately

thirty-five) were driven to be organized and were able to

collect donations of food, clothing, financial resources and even human

resources to help in preventing and combating diseases that come as a result of flooding.

The result was surprising: IFLMS-Brazil collected more than 2.5 tons of food, nearly 500 pieces of clothing, in addition to sending

Climate change, the environment, greenhouse gases, so what I hear you say? We have heard many doomsday stories in our time and climate change could be yet another excitement all about nothing. Or is it?

In fact, evidence tells us that the devastating effects of man-made climate change could wreak havoc on our planet. Scientists predict global temperature increases and amplified variation in global climate patterns that will impact on our economies, our livelihoods and our very way of life. Temperature rises of 2-5 °C will harm ecosystems and result in multiple insecurities in water, food, shelter, migration and extreme weather events.

We should be concerned, since all this will directly cause an impact on global public health. Increased droughts, floods, hurricanes, heat and cold waves, air quality degradation and changing patterns of infectious disease will inevitably harm the health of vulnerable communities, mainly in poor countries (McMichael, 2003). These are not just projections for the distant future: the WHO estimates that in the year 2000, 150,000 deaths were attributable to climatic changes that have occurred since the 1961-1999 baseline (WHO, 2002).

As guardians of the health of the world, the health community must voice its opposition to such trends. We have a duty to our communities to preserve our global environment. It is welcome to see major medical journals (Costello et al, 2009) and a minority of doctors engage in climate change advocacy, yet the movement calling for the preservation of global public health in preventing climate change must grow far stronger.

So what have we been doing in the UK? In the run up to global negotiations in Copenhagen, Denmark this December, we have been working hard to ensure the voice of the health community is heard. Grassroots activism at medical schools and universities has brought tremendous support for the issue. Our Global Health Conference in March saw a large turnout for a campaign action, as seen in the photo below. We passed a policy statement at MM09 in Tunisia as well of course! Building on all of this we want to see more groups and students joining us in a movement to defend the very planet we inhabit.

As future health professionals we have a unique, powerful and compelling voice that we can and must use - to press the urgency

and immediacy of our cause to our elected officials. We must mobilise our own health profession, locally, nationally, and globally.

If we truly value our global society and a future for our children, not to mention the vulnerable communities in the global South who will be greatly affected, we must engage with the politics wholeheartedly and immediately, and bring a successful round of climate negotiations to fruition.

To find out more information and sign the online petition visit www.climateandhealth.org or contact us at healthyplanet@medsin.org. Or just come find us at the GA if you want to discuss things. We look forward to hearing from you!

Jonny Currie,Medsin-UK Campaigns Director 2008/9

Costello, A., Abbas, M. et al. (2009). Managing the health effects of climate change. Lancet 373 (9676):p.1693-1733.McMichael, A. J., Campbell-Lendrum, D., Corvalán, C., Ebi, K., Githeko, A., Scheraga, J., et al. (2003). Climate change and human health : risks and responses. Geneva: WHO.WHO. (2002). World Health Report 2002. Geneva: WHO.

groups of students from committees nearest to affected regions, which acted in the provision of medical assistance to population. Highlights go for the students of Federal University of Campina Grande-PB (UFCG), State University of Piauí (UESPI), Federal University of Piauí (UFPI), Federal University of Ceará/campus Fortaleza (UFC-Fortaleza), Federal University of Ceará/campus Sobral (UFC-Sobral), State University of Londrina (UEL), University of Pernambuco (UPE), Faculty of Medicine of Marília (FAMEMA), among others.

Our local committee ran a campaign based on two objectives: helping in a short and a long-term. For the urgent necessities we spread posters and distributed pamphlets informing the students on the collection of alimentary

provisions and personal hygiene items for the dislodged ones. By losing their homes, some people lost the access to feeding and basic health – factors that are essential for a life without illness. Boxes for donations had been spread throughout the dependences of the college and the students of the

committee expanded the campaign towards their neighbors. For the long-term necessities, we collected money donations in order to collaborate with a monetary fund to assist the families affected by floods and that would have to rebuild their lives. Both donations were sent to the Red Cross of Brazil, with

transportation help by the Military Police of São Paulo.

We see once again the potential that we, as medical students, have to face such difficult situations, to change realities by acting in favor of other human beings, alleviating the suffering and anguish of people even before we complete our medical studies. After all, it is not only out of surgery and drugs that men live.

Marcos Zanchetta and Frederico Santana, from LC FAMEMA of IFLMS-Brazil.

CLIMATE CHANGE AND HEALTHw h a t ’ s t h e d e a l ?

THE SCORPion 10

PeaceTestprotecting the youth from moral disengagementContext:Mass violence is known to be a major problem in our world today. Not a day goes by without several wars being fought some place or another. Many diplomats work around the clock to make world peace happen, but for every step we set forward, we seem to fall another three back. So if you can’t cure it, at least try and prevent it!

The psychologist Bandura developed a theory on how public attitudes and opinions influence collective violence. His theory was one of ‘moral disengagement’, a process that makes it easier or even acceptable to commit acts of violence. It is a specific cognitive process in which normal inhibitions of violence are deactivated. Violent actions need moral justification, for example: one can think a certain amount of violence is needed now, in order to prevent much greater amount later, or one can picture one’s enemies as non-humans.

PeaceTest: the questionnaire:Based on this theory, a questionnaire was designed in order to study the attitudes of young people (mainly high school children) towards war, violence, racism and human rights. This questionnaire consists of 20 statements with which you can agree, disagree or some options in between.

PeaceTest: the project:In this project, SCORPions visit schools to give a ‘PeaceTest lesson’. First the pupils fill out the questionnaire, which takes about 15 minutes. After that comes the

important part: the discussion. A few statements from the questionnaire or similar statements are used for pupils to give their opinion about and to discuss together. This discussion can be held in many different ways. As an example I will describe last week’s lesson we had in Groningen, The Netherlands.

PeaceTest: Groningen, The Netherlands June 2009:After letting the pupils fill out the questionnaire and letting them ask questions about difficult words in the statements (UN, international diplomacy etc.) we pushed all the tables aside and explained the way in which we would have the discussion. This is a form that is called ‘the thermometer’. One side of the classroom is ‘agree’, the other side ‘disagree’. A statement is written on the blackboard and the pupils have to take positions on one side or the other or somewhere in between. After that we ask them why it is they are standing in a specific spot and ask a reaction from someone on the other side. Soon, a lot of them want to tell each other why they are standing where they are, and a discussion erupts. For the student as facilitator it can be quite a challenge to make sure everyone listens to each other and also the more quiet ones take part in the discussion. We discussed several statements this way and the pupils were very disappointed to hear the sound of the school bell. They asked us to come back to discuss some more and provide them with more information on topics like the death penalty and freedom of speech, as they want to know the situations from

all around the world.

The discussion:The discussion is the most powerful part of the project, as you can really show the pupils that it is pointless to just give an opinion, if you don’t have any good arguments to back it up. What they also learn is that things are seldom black and white and that even though you are standing on one side, while talking about it on some points you may come to agree with someone on the other side.

The PeaceTest is an amazing project in which you as a medical student can really get through to high school children and others, teaching them how to not just take something for granted, no matter who says it, and show them how to think for themselves. You can also awaken their curiosity about such topics as Human Rights and Peace that SCORP is all about and get them enthusiastic to find out more about what is going on in the world, to form an opinion about that and finding out in what way they can contribute to change the things they don’t like and support the things they do.

Every lesson is a wonderful experience, for both pupils and students and teachers alike. I hope soon this project will spread throughout the world, so many school children and students will be able to experience its message.

Esther VroegeNational PeaceTest Coordinator for the Netherlands 2008-2009

THE SCORPion11